[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”267.9px” custom_margin=”-53px|auto|-24px|auto||” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-21px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
By Scott Seagle<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the favorite aspects of my job is conducting Teaching Analysis Polls at the midpoint of the semester. A couple of weeks ago, in response to \u201cWhat are you doing to help your learning in this course?\u201d a student reported simply “bringing myself to class.” I guess it’s easy to read this as passive, just showing up. But research suggests something far more intentional may be at work. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/04\/Teaching-Learning-Tip-1024×1024.png” alt=”Coulter Faculty Commons’ Teaching & Learning Tip” title_text=”Teaching & Learning Tip” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”831.4px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_margin=”|auto|-70px|auto||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Student engagement scholars describe learning as encompassing three interlocking dimensions: behavioral, cognitive, and emotional. Engaged students are not just absorbing content; they try to make meaning of what they are studying by putting in intellectual effort and working through challenging ideas. Engaged learners care about the subject, feel motivated or excited to learn, and take ownership of their own learning (Barkley & Major, 2020, p. 6). When a student consciously decides to\u00a0<\/span>bring themselves<\/span><\/i>\u00a0to class, their full attention, curiosity, and personal stake, they are doing exactly this. They are making a deliberate psychological investment rather than merely occupying a seat. Student engagement occurs when students make a psychological investment in learning: they try hard to learn what school offers, taking pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success like grades, but in understanding the material and incorporating it into their lives. That kind of intentional presence, chosen rather than\u00a0required, may be one of the most powerful things a student can bring to a classroom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While \u201cbringing oneself to class\u201d is a good first step students can take, we as instructors can help create a learning environment that fosters engaged learning.\u00a0A positive classroom climate characterized in part by strong, trust-based relationships helps\u00a0facilitate\u00a0a sense of belonging among students, which improves learning, development, and wellness, especially for those who are at higher risk for poorer outcomes. Research on student identity in the classroom reinforces this: when students have opportunities to integrate their multiple identity dimensions and feel whole as a result of bringing their full selves to their learning and growing experiences, this inclusion and validation is foundational to cultivating belonging, agency, and purpose. In practical terms, this means that a student’s ability to “bring themselves” is not solely a matter of individual motivation;\u00a0it’s\u00a0also a response to whether they feel seen, valued, and safe enough to show up fully. Instructors who build in moments for connection, invite students’ prior knowledge and lived experience into discussions, and signal that the whole person is welcome (not just the note-taking, test-taking self),\u00a0actively create\u00a0the conditions in which that kind of engaged presence can take root.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n